Ladder



March 3, 1942. s MOORE 2,275,086

LADDER Filed July 25, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l IHHIIIIIHWHIIIIIIIIHIIHHHII Attorney IHHIIIIIH IIIIIIIIIIHIIIHIIIHIH March 3, 1942. s. P. MOORE 2,275,086

' LADDER Filed July 25, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor jterZz'ngf/Yaore.

Amruey Patented Mar. 3, 1942 v 7 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE V 2,275,086 I V LADDER Sterling P.,Moore, New Madrid, Mo. Application July 25, 1941, Serial No. 404,089

2 Claims.

This invention relates to stepladders and more particularly to an attachment therefor so that the legs of the ladder may be extended where e. ladder of material length is desired, and whereby also the ladder may be levelled when used o uneven ground or similar surface.

Briefly the invention consists in providing each of the several legs of the ladderwlth an extension member, with the leg and its associated extension member complementarily equipped secured at the desired position of adjustment longitudinally with respect to the leg of the ladder, to the end that the legs of the ladder may be varied in length as desired and as the surface upon which the ladder is disposed may require.

The invention together with its objects and advantages will be best understood from a study of the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is,a side elevational view of a ladder embodying the features of the present invention. Figure 2. is a front elevational view thereof.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view of a ladder leg and'its extension, and

whereby the extension member may be readily 7 modate the bolts l4. each leg extension 12 is provided with a longitudinal slot l5 as shown.

Wing-nuts 16 are threadedly engaged with the bolts 14 and when threaded home on the bolts serve to maintain the surfaces l3 of the leg extensions I2 in engagement with the corrugated showing the means for securing the extension at the desired position of adjustment relative to the associated leg.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary elevational view of a. portion of a leg of a ladder illustrating certain features hereinafter more fully referred to.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary elevational view of a leg extension and showing the corrugated surface provided thereon.

Figure 6 is a detail sectional view taken substantially on the line 6-6 of Figure 1.

Referring more in detail. to the drawings it will be seen that in accordance with the present invention each of the front legs 5 and each of the rear legs 6 has secured to the outer side thereof several; in the present instance two plates 1 positively secured to the leg through the medium of fastening elements 8 andintegral barbs or projections 9 that are embedded in the leg of the ladder as shown to advantage in Figure 3.

Each plate 1 is corrugated, as also shown to advantage in Figure 3, to provide a roughened gripping surface.

Also each plate 1 at the upper edge thereof has formed integral therewith substantially C-shaped spring fingers l0, and each leg is provided with recesses H into which the spring fingers H! are flexed when the leg extension I2 is secured in surfaces of the plates 1, and the leg extensions I! at the desired position of adjustment relative to the legs 5 and 6 of the ladder.

When a leg extension I2 is in such positive engagement with the ladder leg, 5 or 5 as the case may be, the spring fingers 10 are held in tensioned position within the recesses ll. 0bviously, when incidental to an adjustment of a leg extension 12, nuts 16 are loosened, the spring fingers l0 will act on the extensions,- I! to urge the same laterally away from the associated legs of the ladder, and substantially to the position shown in Figure 3, whereupon the extension I! may then be shifted longitudinally in the desired direction relative to the associated ladder leg, after which the nuts l8 are then threaded home on the bolts 14 to urge the surface l3 of the-extension 12 into engagement with the surfaces of the plates 1 whereupon the extension I! is then rigidly secured in position of adjustment.

In Figure 1 there is illustrated, in phantom lines, the manner in-which the attachment may be used to advantage in levelling a ladder when the. same is used on an inclined or uneven surmade without departing from the spirit of the.

invention, and accordingly claim all such forms of the invention to which I am entitled.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new is:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a ladder having extensible legs, interengaging means on the opposed faces of the extensions and the legs, means for securing the extensions in longitudinally adjusted position relative to the legs, and

spring means formed as a part of said interengaging means and yieldably urging the extensions laterally away from said legs.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a ladder, each leg of which is provided on one face thereof with a corrugated surface, an extension for each leg of the ladder, each extension having a corrugated surface complementing the corrugated surface of its associated ladder leg for coaction v therewith in securing the extension at the desired position of adjustment longitudinally relative to the ladder leg, each leg also having at least one bolt extending laterally therefrom, and each leg extension provided with a slot accommodating the bolt and a nut threaded on the bolt and adapted to be threaded home against the extension to secure the extension at the desired position of adjustment with the corrugated surface thereof inengagement with the corrugated surface of the associated ladder leg, and spring-fingers disposed above the corrugated surface of each leg and impinging on the extension for yieldably urging the extension laterally away from the ladder leg.

V STERLING P. MOORE. 

